Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-09-09
a RUNAWAY TRAIN.


There Is q SIDft III fttfc <10HAt "a
boy, the fiffceil-s es,i'-el. Ssslsof loco
motive engineer. who had often ridden
with his father and knew the engine
pootv WELL Indeed the engineer had
frequently let the boy drive on q
long stretch Of straight trat1. Ono
night he left Dave in charge Of the en-
ginc on siding while he went to sup
per as usual. There came up furious
wind; and. after little some cars shot
by without any engine. The wind had
started them. Boy. think quick Down
grade. The Lightning Express is to
come that way!
|. Nobody near. No telegraph wire.
The trains are headed together. There
is less than an hour to catch those run
away cars and pull them out OF the
way. No time for hesitationl He
springs to the lever, picks up speed and
tears away with grade and wind and
steam like whizzing arrow.
They are miles ahead. The rushing
minutes are full Of sudden comprehen-
sion. He almost sees through the dark.
Compositions night. What set him fly
| ing toward this plunge was thought Of
the Lightning Express. Now danger
takes hold Of him. What il he is just
too late! The runaway train is in sight!
| OF steam! No. on again! Let the
story-teller tell the rest.
| He must slow up. but do it so NIGEL.
that when he does come up with them
| there shall be the least possible shock;
for here is the hardest part Of the BUSH
ness He has nobody to help him
couple He must be. for the once,
| both engineer and switchman. He had
not thought what formidable job this
was until it stared him in the face
| On he flew, revolving the situation in
his head and adjusting his engine with
the incest care until he was upon the
very heels of the runaway; then, with
many misgivings, slipped ont Of the
engine-house and craw1ed along the
side Of the locomotive and down on the
"cow-catchcr.
Here, Selling the long coupler In one
hand and holding on with the other,
.. he stood watching with breathless in
tercst the approaching collision. The
suspense was agonizing. The situation
was perilous. A gust Of wind might
; sweep him from his place; he might be
i, shaken off or crushed.
He was almost panic-stricken.
dozen times he was at the point OF turn
ing back. To his startled ears the ali
was full of uncanny sounds-t SWEEP
= Of another tornado, the rush OF thu
Lightning just ahead. But he ha,
e in him the stuff which heroes are mad,
o. The hero, remember, is not he VIII
e Is insensible to danger, but rather h
2 who feels and realizes, but yet over
: comes it.
y The Meteor" drew nearer and near
y err the flying train. Dave had used eS
Y cellent judgmentin regulating its speed
2 for at length it came up with the rea
ear with scarcely shock, so that Day
> could reach over md drop In the pin
y Then clambering back into the engine
n. house he seized the throttle" To hi
~ amazement the train did not stop. II
70 stead of the "Meteor's" stopping til
runaway, the runaway dragged tn
Oh Meteor" along in its headlong fligh
- Dave was horror-struck. He had though
h. the train would stop at once. He ha
re not calculated what tremendous in
OF petus all those heavy cars had acquires
In Now, then, the tussle! The train b.
lie gan to slow up. 1t came to standstil
he Then the backward pull. Slowly the
ut got under way; but the wind and Al
in grade were against them.
st. Dave began to get anxious. "Tl
nd Lightning" must be due by this tim
les He kept a sharp lookout behind al
whistled like mad around the curve
I'm AT length he entered upon the lon
err straight, level line of road which e
DIV tended clear TO Blankton. Da'
is. breathed freer. 1t was the HON
he stretch a good ten-mile run.
Ks, Hardly had he congratulated himse
rs, when far behind--but Enthusiastically
nd he heard the scream of Lightning
ch whistle. He was going already at
ch topmost speed. He was making n
III, more than thirty-five miles an hor
while the Lightning" was coming
~ III WIG IhtN VI siNtN. ioi
FOR heard it gaining on him; the ne
me whistle was nearer, and at length VIII
ON he had made only two-thirds the d
lrd lance the CLEAN of its headlight eal
. shooting round wooded curve in
on, rear.
al, Out of the very despair Of the Ii
a a ment Dave gathered calmness.
5 o turned his back on the pursuing ira
he cast no look behind, he shut his e,
10 to its on-coming roar; looked strais
the ahead, kept his eyes on the track,
in mind on his duty.
rms He is almost there-he is there.
IAN dashes past the station-house, acr,
sst, the switch and down at last upon
ris, side track.
or 1t is all right, Jake and Jim I
there. They have thrown the swift
Ger back in time; and the .'Lightnin
ing goes whizzing and shrieking past
-ies When Jake jumped aboard
his Meteor" his son tainted dead away